Friend insists "Post is junk"

Different design philosophies between the builders. Looking back at boats from each on of the builders I can name several things from each of them that you can call "junky". IE, flybridge on a bertram being held together with self tapping screws, bridge console in a post looking like it was built by a amateur carpenter on meth, generous use of wood in goofy exterior areas on Eggs, or the icing on the cake, rear bulkheads on bertrams being made of plywood and formica!

Ultimately it comes down to which bottom design suits you best, flat bottom, deep vee or something somewhere in between. Post was always small time when compared to the juggernaut that was Bertram, they couldn't come close when it came to $ spent on advertising and overall promotion therefore creating some sort of public perception that the boat was in some way shape or form inferior.

As one of their largest dealers once told me, the ride may suck but since post built their boats like "brick $hithouses" they wouldn't fall apart.

It's all about bottom design. If I were going out to the canyon in November, I'd probably want a Viking deep V. But since my cruising range is Oyster Bay NY to Cape Cod from late May till early October, I'll take my nice wide, stable Post any day. The 30 knot cruise at under 60 gallons an hour ain't bad either. In 12 years I have never had to cancel a trip due to whether. Ok, so if I hit real 5-6s on the nose, I back out to 22 knots. Also my joiner work is like furniture. Some of the older 42-3 are wet boats, but I have never heard anyone call them "Junk". You do have to be careful about gelcoat in certain years. Has your friend ever been on a Post?

I have a 46 Post. My last boat was a Viking.

At first I really thought I was moving "down".

After owning the Post for a few years, i realize that my perception was wrong.

The Post exceeded my expectations with quality and construction and ride.

The only thing I dont like about the Post is how it handles in a following sea. The back end seems to slide down the back side of the wave, this takes some getting used to crossing inlets and in following seas more than 4-6. you learn to use zero tabs and keep weight in the rear tank if you will running a few hours or more in a following zea.

Post has corrected the following sea issue in the newer 47 by moving the engines back and putting some deadrise in the stern.

The viking tracked much better in a following sea, but the Viking bobbed like a cork on the drift or at anchor.

The Post is stable like a rock at drift or at anchor.

Both boats were equally wet boats with the viking being slightly wetter.

Believe it or not, the Viking tended to pound more than the Post. The Post doesnt seem to pound at all.

The Viking also burns more fuel for the same speed and has more draft.

Both interiors were pretty nice, with a slight edge to the Post.

I would consider an older Bertram a super high quality boat, but some of the interiors on the older ones are not as nice. The newer Bertrams seem to have quite enough quality issues. I have been rocked to near death on more than one Bertram on the drift.


Bottom line, If I were shopping for a 40-50 SF, I would not take Post off my shopping list.
They are a high quality built boat that can run with the big boys and then proudly back into any yacht club or marina.

I would consider Post one of the top 5 production S/Fs in the 40-50 range.

PHP:

cancel a trip due to whether

What law school did you attend?

Uh, how about. "never had to cancel a trip due to whether to go or not because of weather". Does that get me out of it?

Like a pro.

Post is a pretty well built boat. I would say that it's bottom configuration is not as good for very rough weather as a comparable size Bertram or Hatteras. However, the trade-off is that they are usually more fuel efficient and fairly fast for their power and stable at rest or slow speeds.....or at speed.......I am not completely found of their fiberglass over plywood house construction, but it's not to say that Merritt and others haven't used the exact same construction for years and years........

Yeah, get a new friend. If he's that wrong about a boat, who knows what else he could be wrong about.

Stunamar,

ask your buddie what kind of boat is in this picture?

It is NOT a Post.

RT46. How'd you come up with that picture?? Great shot.

BTW rereading the OPs 2nd post to this forum, are we being baited?

Beau,

I cant take credit for that pic.

I got it off YF, I think.

The pic is "floating" around.

regards,

RT46

Ya gotta love that photo,but sooner or later that can happen to cored hulls. I have seen delamination on a Viking that would have ended up that way if the owner hadn't noticed that "bulge" on the port side.

I think the claim that Posts are junk is just a **** silly notion. Every boat is a compromise and as far as Posts go they are a very strong,solid glass hull,with a wide beam and deck house that make them a great party or live aboard platform and a very decent fishing boat.Owning a Post and a Hatteras both at the same time gives me a bit of insight on the subject. I love the Post for all the above and her better speed via the flat bottom and lighter weight,but in a seaway of any size I prefer the Hatteras for both ride and the ability to go down below safely or work below while underway. It seems that while my Post digs and lurches in a rough sea the Hatteras establishes a predictable rhythm that my body and feet quickly adjust to.

Kudos on the screws Shawn! Bertrams are great boats but what to hell were they thinking about? I guess screw guns and screws are cheaper than glassing and tabbing?

The only problem I've seen with Post and I think what led to their demise (and rebirth) besides the fact that they had a ton of debt, is Post was always behind the times in keeping up with the change in SF design. Many people feel that both their interiors and exteriors were dated say from the mid 90's on......

Post quality

First off, I have been boating for 40+ years, from wooden boats to being the sales manager of the second largest Trojan Yacht dealer in their heydays of the International series. We have owned two Post's, a 1981 42 and for the last nine years a 1997 50. The 42 was a lousy boat in a following sea and beam sea, but was built incredibly well. The current owner is fishing the boat seriously out of Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach, subjecting the boat to things that would put less well built boats on the bottom.

Fast forward to the 50. It is an awesome vessel. 30 knots at 1,900 rpm in a variety of conditions. It is a modified V with fairly shallow deadrise so it is not going to be as good as a Bertram or Hatteras in a huge head sea, but it is a much easier boat to push and as a result more fuel efficient. We can run at that kind of speed in a two to three foot chop here in the Ches Bay where it is a short standup kind of chop. I too, have had the boat in a big head sea, five and sixes in the Delaware Bay, which is a horrible body of water and we were still able to run along at 23 knots with out pounding the boat. The boat is excellent in a following sea. I have run in a four to five foot following sea in the lower Ches bay with the boat, set the autopilot and let the boat do it's thing at 26-27 knots. It is an excellent balance of performance and efficiency in what is a big boat for a 50 foot boat.

There is still a lot of bad information out there that compares the old early 42's and 46's to the boats Post built later on. I can tell you that our 42 never creaked or groaned, we never had cabinetry misaligned, or broken tabbing from the hull flexing so they were very well built boats even in that day.

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